Hanger with soft pad

ABSTRACT

A garment hanger has an elongated body and first and second retaining clips positioned along the body. Each of the retaining clips has a first leg with an upper end and a lower end and a second leg with an upper end and a lower end. The lower ends of the legs have gripping portions. A biasing mechanism is arranged to apply a force near the lower ends of the legs to bias the gripping portions toward one another. At least one soft pad preferably made of a soft elastomeric material having rounded edges is attached to the gripping portions of the legs so that the soft pads face one another.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is based on and claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/425,345 filed Nov. 8, 2002 entitled HANGER WITH SOFT PAD, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and to which a claim of priority is hereby made.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to garment hangers and, more particularly, to garment hangers that are capable of displaying garments through the use of garment retaining clips at each end of the hanger body.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Various types of pinch-hangers are known. These hangers include an attachment portion for securing the hanger body to a support (typically, a hook that secures the hanger body to a rod), and pinch-grips attached to the hanger body, typically at opposite ends thereof. Each pinch-grip includes a pair of vertically-extending gripping components, a mechanism for pivotally securing the components together, and a mechanism for biasing the bottom ends of the gripping components together. Typically, each gripping component has an upper end, a lower end and a central or connecting component portion between the ends. The bottom ends are configured and dimensioned to cooperatively receive and maintain a garment therebetween under the influence of the biasing mechanism. Preferably, the securing mechanism pivotably secures one connecting component portion to another connecting component portion.

[0006] To insert or remove a garment from the hanger, the upper ends of the gripping components are pressed together so that the components pivot relatively and the lower ends thereof separate. In this “open” or releasing orientation, the garment may be removed from or secured to the hanger. Finally, when the upper ends of the components are released, the biasing mechanism causes the components to pivot relatively and return to their original orientation with the upper ends spaced apart and the lower ends biased together. In this “closed” or gripping orientation, the garment may be suspended between the component bottom ends. If no article is between them, the component bottom ends may actually touch and abut, thereby to form an “abutting” orientation.

[0007] Such pinch-hangers are frequently used at retail stores to display garments suspended from the pinch-grips, such as a pair of pants, a skirt, or the like.

[0008] The conventional pinch-hangers have certain problems. Typically the bottom ends or gripping parts have “teeth” that are able to dig into the garment because the garments can be heavy and these “teeth” are required to effectively maintain a grip. Garment waistbands may also be thin and difficult to effectively grip. Because of this, various “teeth” configurations are used, all of which leave multiple markings on the garment that are undesirable.

[0009] The configuration of these gripper teeth can also interfere with the process of loading the garment into the pinch-grip. This is most often the case when the pinch-grip receives a thick garment that touches the teeth upon entry, or when the pinch-grip is not opened fully for some reason (for example, by not applying enough pressure on the upper end of the pinch-grip to force it into a fully open position).

[0010] Further, these teeth are typically point-shaped, i.e., angled on two sides and are arranged in multiple rows; i.e., staggered, which results in an unsightly pattern of marks on the garment. Moreover, it is found that pointed teeth are not always the most effective method for reliably holding a wide variety of fabrics. Further, the use of staggered teeth results in uneven pressure to the fabric, thereby causing stress on the fabric weave and resulting in puckering damage as well as undesirable indentation markings on the garment.

[0011] Thus, there exists a need for further improvements in the art for a hanger which can solve the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The hanger according to the present invention has an elongated body and first and second retaining clips positioned along the body. Each of the retaining clips has a first leg with an upper end and a lower end, and a second leg with an upper end and a lower end. The lower ends of the legs have gripping portions. A biasing mechanism is arranged to apply a force near the lower end of the legs to bias the gripping portions toward one another. Soft pads are attached to the gripping portions of the legs so that the pads face one another. When the legs grip a garment that is being held by the hanger, the pads engage the garment and help to prevent damage thereto. The pads, in cross-section, have a rounded outer surface so that opposed pads touch one-another at the apex of the rounded surface. The pads are made of a soft material, i.e., rubber, whereby increasing the clamping pressure on the pads causes the area of contact between the opposed pads to increase.

[0013] The rounded shape of the pads prevents marring of the garment since there are no square edges to dig into the garment. Furthermore, the soft material of the pads conforms to whatever is being gripped to thereby further reduce the possibility of marking or marring the garment.

[0014] The pads are preferably mounted to the gripping portions of the legs by an adhesive. Furthermore, the pads can be made of any suitable soft material such as rubber or an elastomeric polymer. There is an additional benefit if the pads are made of a tacky material. The benefit is that the tacky material helps prevent slipping of the garment from the hanger. The pads can also be mounted to the gripping portions by conventional two-stage injection molding in which the hanger is molded in a first stage and the pad is molded in a second stage whereby the high temperature of the molding process causes the pad to bond to the gripping portion. Such an injection molding process and how it is carried out is known to those skilled in the art.

[0015] These aspects and advantages of the present invention, as well as others, will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments which refer to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and instrumentalities shown.

[0017]FIG. 1a is an isometric view of the pad pursuant to the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 1b is a side view of the pad of FIG. 1a;

[0019]FIG. 1c is a top view of the pad of FIG. 1a;

[0020]FIG. 1d is a view along the arrow “d” in FIG. 1a;

[0021]FIG. 2a is a side elevation view of a pinch-grip for a hanger pursuant to the present invention, shown in the open position;

[0022]FIG. 2b is a bottom view of FIG. 2a;

[0023]FIG. 3a is a side elevation view of a pinch-grip of FIG. 2a in the closed position;

[0024]FIG. 3b is a bottom view of FIG. 3a;

[0025]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the pinch-grip shown in FIG. 3a;

[0026]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing section A of FIG. 4; and

[0027]FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of a hanger with soft pads in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1-6 wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements, there is shown an exemplary embodiment garment hanger 1 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The garment hanger is a “pinch” or “pinch-grip” hanger, such as the hanger shown and described in co-pending application Ser. No. 10/118,122 entitled “Pinch-Grip Hanger,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. The garment hanger shown can be made from any suitable known material and by any suitable known method. Preferably, the garment hanger is made of injection-molded plastic.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, the pinch hanger 1 includes a pinch-grip 10 on each end of a hanger body 2. Each pinch-grip 10 includes a movable forced gripping component or leg 4 and a stationary second gripping component or leg 6 (FIG. 3A) secured to each other about a pivot axis. Each of the components 4, 6 includes respective lower ends 3, 5 below the pivot axis for receiving a garment therebetween and respective upper ends 7, 9 above the pivot axis. The upper ends 7, 9 are preferably sized to be substantially equal in length to their respective lower ends 3, 5.

[0030] As seen in FIGS. 2a-6, the respective lower ends 3, 5 of the legs 4, 6 are substantially identical to each other and include a single opposing gripping portion which contacts the other when a garment is not present within the pinch grip. Each gripping portion includes a laterally disposed gripping tooth 8 a. In an exemplary embodiment, each pinch-grip also includes a U-shaped spring 11 which biases the lower ends 3, 5 of the legs together and allows separation toward the fully extended open position (FIG. 2a) by relative movement of the upper parts of the legs 4, 6.

[0031] To insert or remove an article from the pinch-grip 10, the upper ends 7, 9 are pressed together so that the front leg 4 pivots about the pivot axis and the lower ends 3, 5 separate. In this “open” position (FIG. 2a), the garment may be placed in or removed from the lower end of the pinch-grip. When the upper ends 7, 9 of the legs are released, the U-shaped spring 11 causes the lower ends 3, 5 of the components to return to a “closed” position, as shown in FIG. 3a.

[0032] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, each pinch-grip 10 includes protectors or “bumpers” 12, 14 at opposite ends thereof along the hanger body 2. The bumpers 12, 14 extend outwardly from the back leg 6 toward the front leg 4. The bumpers 12, 14 are designed to prevent the accidental opening of the pinch-grip 10 without preventing the intentional movement of the pinch-grip 10 into the fully extended open position of FIG. 2a.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 2a-6, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the inner bumper 12 is substantially identical to the outer bumper 14. When placed in a normal hanging position, each of the bumpers, at its lower end, initially extends outwardly to a first distance from the hanger body 2. As measured while continuing along the vertical path of the bumper as indicated by the arrow A (FIG. 3A), the distance that the bumper extends from the hanger body 2 continually increases until reaching a second distance. Thereafter, while continuing along the vertical path of the bumper, the second distance that the bumper extends from the hanger body remains substantially constant until reaching the top edge of the hanger body where the bumper terminates at the second distance.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, in an exemplary embodiment, the legs 4, 6 include opposed, offset wall sections 15, 16 which extend inwardly from the inner surfaces 17, 18 and are located proximal to but just below the pivot area of the pinch-grip such that the garment is prevented from being pinched within the pivot area of the pinch-grip. These opposed inwardly projecting wall sections 15, 16 overlap transversely in the front-to-back direction and cooperate to form a barrier within the gripping area 20 of the pinch-grip that prevents the garment from being pinched by the pivot area during the opening and closing of the components. Basically, the opposed wall sections 15, 16, regardless of the open or closed position of the pinch-grip, shield the garment from contact with the pivot area, as the overlapping relationship illustrated in FIG. 4 is maintained whether the pinch grip is open or closed.

[0035] Also, as shown in FIG. 5, in an exemplary embodiment, the respective lower ends 3, 5 of the legs 4, 6 include the single gripping portion having the gripping teeth 8 a. These single gripping portions and the gripping teeth 8 a interact so as to reduce the gripper markings on the garment placed within the pinch-grip. As shown in FIG. 5, in an exemplary embodiment, the gripping portions are preferably inclined inwardly (i.e. outwardly tapered), from the respective lower ends 3, 5 of the legs 4, 6 towards the upper ends 7, 9. This allows for easier garment loading within the pinch-grip by providing a gradual transition or “ramp” from the bottom edge of the pinch-grip components into the gripping area 20. Further, the inclined surfaces of the gripping portions are preferably provided with a smooth finish over their entire surfaces such that, when a garment contacts the “ramp” as it is being placed within the pinch-grip, it easily and smoothly slides into place without interference. Moreover, this action promotes the compression of bulky garments so as to facilitate their entry into the gripping portion of the pinch-grip.

[0036] In an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tops of the gripping teeth 8 a preferably form a substantially flat surface 25, perpendicular with respect to the vertical axis of the pinch-grip. The flat surfaces 25 preferably lie at an angle in the range of about 10° above and below the horizontal axis of the pinch-grip, and are most preferably approximately horizontal. These surfaces 25 reduce garment slip and help retain the garment in place within the pinch-grip by gripping under the garment folds or stitching lines, as opposed to typical “teeth” which have upper surfaces which are angled downwardly between 30° and 45°, thereby allowing the garment to “slip” from the pinch-grip easily.

[0037] Moreover, the use of the single gripping portions and the gripping teeth 8 a in conjunction with the substantially flat surfaces 25 allows for the formation of a cavity or “free space” within the gripping area 20. This “free space” allows for the accommodation of bulkier or thicker garments within the pinch-grip while also accommodating traditional sized garments, thereby providing a pinch grip having improved versatility.

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the U-shaped spring 11, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is preferably designed to apply pressure directly behind the gripping portion, and preferably, directly behind the gripping teeth 8 a by engagement with respective projections 32, 36 on the lower ends 3, 5 of components 4, 6 in opposed relationship to the gripping teeth 8 a. Each leg 11 a, 11 b of the U-shaped spring 11 extends and terminates at substantially the same location as the gripping surface.

[0039] In an exemplary embodiment, to retain the spring 11 in place during the opening and closing of the pinch-grip, the legs 4, 6 are provided with respective recessed areas 22, 24, and the legs 11 a, 11 b of the U-shaped spring 11 are provided with complementary hook-shaped portion 21, 23 which fit below projections 32, 36. The hook-shaped portions 21, 23 of the legs 11 a, 11 b of the spring 11 seat within the associated recessed areas 22, 24 and retain the spring 11 in place on the pinch-grip during the opening and closing thereof. Positioning of the spring 11 to apply pressure at the gripping surface, and preferably at the gripping teeth 8a, substantially decreases the tendency of the pinch-grip components to undergo plastic deformation when exposed to increased temperatures which may be encountered during shipping and storage of the hangers, with or without garments attached thereto.

[0040] In an embodiment of the invention, additional projections 30, 34 on the middle portions of the legs 4, 6 may be used to engage the opposed legs of spring clip 11 near the top thereof to assure proper positioning of the spring clip during operation.

[0041] In an embodiment of the invention, a rubber-like or elastomeric pad 100 (see FIGS. 1a-1 d) can be overlaid on the gripping formation, e.g., the gripping teeth 8 a of the pinch-grip 10, which is designed to work without the pad 100. See FIGS. 2a and 3 a. The pad 100 can be formed of any of the known materials, e.g., such as a rubber or an elastomeric polymer. The pinch-grip does not require special recesses, flat areas or other features to accommodate the elastomeric pad 100. The clip continues to function in the same manner, even if the elastomeric pad 100 is removed from the pinch grip. The elastomeric pad 100 provides additional padding to the teeth 8 a to prevent damage to the fabric being held between the teeth. Although the pad is shown with a pinch grip as described above, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the pad can be used in any type of garment retaining clip even if the clip is not constructed as discussed previously. It is also to be understood that not only can the pad 100 can be used in conjunction with a gripping formation which is designed to work without the pad, but it can be used in conjunction with any type of gripping formation, or can be used alone without any other gripping formation.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pad is made of a soft elastomeric material. Preferably, the pad 100 has a rounded outer surface 102, having a rounded tip or apex portion 103 as seen in section in FIG. 1b. In an exemplary embodiment, the pad is completely rounded, and has no square edges.

[0043] In the closed position of the pinch-grip 10, the pads 100 touch one another at the tip or apex portions 103 as shown in FIGS. 3a-5, much the same way that the pad portions of two human fingers would touch, i.e., the “finger pad principle.” Due to the soft elastomeric material from which the pads are made, with increased clamping force, the tip portions gradually flatten out. Consequently, the contact surface area between the pads increases.

[0044] Also due to the soft elastomeric material, it has been found that the elastomeric material will take on the shape of the garment to which it grips. This is advantageous because the pad will not mar the surface of the garment. And since the pad 100 has no square edges, the pad will not leave an impression or line to define the space that is compressed by the pinch-grip 10.

[0045] In an embodiment of the invention, the soft elastomeric pad 100 is attached to the gripping surface or gripping teeth 8 a by any known method such as through the use of any of the known adhesives. Preferably, the pads are mounted to the gripping portions by conventional two-stage injection molding in which the hanger is molded in a first stage and the pad is molded in a second stage whereby the high temperature of the molding process causes the pad to bond to the gripping portion. Such an injection molding process and how it is carried out is known to those skilled in the art.

[0046] In an embodiment of the invention, the soft elastomeric pad 100 is secured to the gripping teeth 8 a by overlapping the top surface 25 of the teeth 8 a of the pinch grip. The pad 100 then rests on the side surface 101 of the gripping teeth. See FIGS. 2a-5.

[0047] In an embodiment of the invention, the soft elastomeric pad 100 can be made of a tacky material, such that a garment being held by the pinch grip is held more securely by contact with the soft elastomeric pad 100.

[0048] While the present invention has been described in relation to a particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. (Original) A garment hanger, comprising: an elongated body; first and second retaining clips positioned along the body, each of the retaining clips having a first leg with an upper end and a lower end and a second leg with an upper end and a lower end, the lower ends of the legs having gripping portions, a biasing mechanism is arranged to bias the gripping portions toward one another; and at least one soft pad attached to each of the gripping portions of the legs so that the soft pads face one another.
 2. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 1, in which the at least one soft pad has a rounded edge portion.
 3. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 2, in which the rounded edge portion has a tip portion, and the tip portions touch one another when the soft pads face each other.
 4. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the pads are mounted to the gripping portions of the legs by an adhesive.
 5. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the pads are integrally molded with the gripping portions of the legs.
 6. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the pads are made of a tacky material.
 7. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the pads are made of rubber.
 8. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the pads are made of an elastomeric polymer.
 9. (Original) A pinch-grip hanger comprising: an elongated body; first and second pinch-grips positioned along the body, each of the pinch-grips being comprised of: a first leg having an upper and a lower end; a second leg having an upper and a lower end, the first and second legs being in opposed front-to-back relationship; gripping portions at the lower ends of the first and second legs; a biasing mechanism that applies a force near the first ends of the first and second legs to bias the gripping portions thereof toward each other; the upper ends of the legs being movable toward each other about a pivot axis to separate the gripping portions, and thereby to open the pinch-grip; and soft pads attached to the gripping portions of the legs so that the soft pads face one another.
 10. (Original) The pinch-grip hanger of claim 9, wherein each of the gripping portions include: a single gripping tooth elongated in the direction of the pivot axis, and extending toward the tooth on the other gripping portion with the tips thereof substantially in contact when the pinch-grip is closed and an item is not being held by the hanger, the pads being mounted on the tips, substantially flat upper surfaces on each tooth that together define a lower end of the gripping area between the gripping portions; and an outwardly tapering end portion having a substantially smooth surface extending downward below the teeth.
 11. (Original) A garment hanger, comprising: an elongated body; first and second retaining clips positioned along the body, each of the retaining clips having a first leg with a lower end and a second leg with a lower end, a biasing mechanism is arranged to apply a force near the lower ends of the legs to bias the lower ends toward one another; and soft pads attached to the lower ends of the legs so that the soft pads face one another.
 12. (Original) A garment hanger, comprising: a body; at least one retaining clip having a gripping portion to secure an item thereon; and at least one soft pad attached to the gripping portion.
 13. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 12, in which the gripping portion has at least two soft pads that face each other.
 14. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 12, in which the at least two soft pads each have a rounded edge portion.
 15. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 14, in which the rounded edge portions have an apex portion, and the apex portions touch one another when the soft pads face each other.
 16. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 12, wherein the pads are mounted to the gripping portions of the legs by an adhesive.
 17. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 12, wherein the pads are integrally molded with the gripping portions of the legs.
 18. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 12, wherein the pads are made of a tacky material.
 19. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 12, wherein the pads are made of rubber.
 20. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 12, wherein the pads are made of an elastomeric polymer.
 21. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 15, wherein the hanger includes a biasing mechanism to bias the two soft pads towards each other.
 22. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 21, wherein the size of the apex portions increase as the force of the biasing mechanism increases.
 23. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 22, in which the soft pads receive the item therebetween.
 24. (Original) The garment hanger of claim 23, in which the item is a garment, and the soft pads at least partly take on the shape of the portion of the garment in contact with the pads. 